


Situational Analysis

by LBibliophile



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anniversary, Bingo Fill, Headaches & Migraines, Kidnapped Tony Stark, M/M, Protective Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark Bingo 2020, Tony Stark Needs Sleep, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark has Terrible Coping Mechanisms, Winteriron Month 2020, and water, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:07:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22962889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LBibliophile/pseuds/LBibliophile
Summary: As awareness gradually seeps back in, the first thing Tony notices is the headache. Not that this is exactly an uncommon state of affairs; but depending on the reason for the headache, his day will have drastically different outcomes. Aka, is he waking up to a mild annoyance, or a rather unpleasant morning, or an increasingly miserable however long until he manages to get himself back home.For:Winteriron Month - SFW day 2: kidnappingTony Stark Bingo - 3096 - A1: kidnapping
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 78
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020, WinterIron Month 2020





	Situational Analysis

_Tony isn’t sure how long he’s been in the workshop. Hours? Days? Something like that. Long enough that his stash of snacks is depleted and his water bottle emptied – he should refill it, but he can never seem to hold the thought long enough. Any other time his boyfriend would have come and dragged him out by now, but Bucky understands how much he needs the distraction around this anniversary, and allows them both the exception._

_For a while he had the TV on as background noise, but every channel seems inundated with Christmas songs and decorations. The whole point of hiding down here is to forget the date: he turned it off. Instead, he has JARVIS run his working playlist, the one with thumping bass that reverberates through his body, becoming his heartbeat. With the music thrumming in his veins he lets go of the world. Nothing matters except the next schematic, the next circuit, the next screw. Time melts away._

_Reality returns with a jolt, the appearance of a figure beside him pulling him out of his trance. He spins to face them, but his mind keeps spinning, spiralling down into darkness._

___

As awareness gradually seeps back in, the first thing Tony notices is the headache.

Not that this is exactly an uncommon state of affairs; but depending on the reason for the headache, his day will have drastically different outcomes. Aka, is he waking up to a mild annoyance, or a rather unpleasant morning, or an increasingly miserable however long until he manages to get himself back home. Taking the precaution of assuming the worst-case-scenario, he stays still and relaxed for the moment, and reluctantly focuses his attention on the pain.

It’s a fuzzy, throbbing ache, with occasional sparks ricocheting around his skull. Not fun, but also comparatively good news. The pain doesn’t seem to be focussed on any particular points, so it’s unlikely to be a concussion. This means that; one, his bout of unconsciousness is probably not Iron Man-injury related, so no immediate danger; two, _Tony Stark_ hasn’t suffered an attack via blunt-force trauma; and most importantly three, concussions are the worst and there’s nothing you can do except wait them out – 0/10, would not recommend.

Ok, next step. The sparks of pain seem to be radiating up from the base of his skull. Now that he’s paying attention, he recognises the sensation that comes from being hunched over a keyboard or workbench for too long. _Or_ otherwise-generated muscle strain from non-voluntary immobilisation. For the rest… exhaustion or dehydration or hangover or sedative withdrawal or some combination of the above. He can’t think clearly enough to work it out; he needs external stimulus to help him shake off the effects.

His own faculties determined, he turns his attention to his other senses, careful not to give any outwards signs of alertness just in case.

The first sense that demands his attention is taste, and... yeah, no. He suppresses a grimace. Dehydration is definitely one for the list. However, that also means that the dry fuzziness covers up the potential bitter aftertaste of substances recreational or involuntary. More data needed.

Moving right along; sound. He pushes his awareness outwards, but nothing much registers. The room he is in is almost silent, the susurrus of a ventilation system and hum of electronics the only ambient noise. He can faintly hear the movements of a person in another room, but not clearly enough to make out any details. He relaxes a bit further. Confirmed, no immediate danger; he has time to work out where he is and his physical capabilities.

And now he realises what subconsciously prompted him to go through the whole checklist in the first place. He’s not in bed and he’s not slumped over on his workshop table, so where is he? He seems to be sitting in a padded chair, slumped backwards, his head supported but lolling to one side – and that would be part of the neck pain. Other than his neck and head nothing seems to be hurting; he takes a deep breath – is that a faint hint of coffee? – and the air comes as easily as it ever does around the arc reactor. More good signs. Just one more test before he ‘wakes up’… He focuses his attention on his wrists where they are lying on the armrests of the chair. He can’t feel any restraints, but he flexes the tendons anyway to make sure, noting as he does so that he has at least that much muscle control.

Analysis complete, he carefully opens his eyes, blinking as he adjusts to the dim light.

Oh. _Oh._

And now he feels silly.

He does know where he is, after all. The familiar lines of his living room take shape around him; the window, the TV, the bookcase, the couch, the armchair where he has been carefully placed. Which means that the person he heard…

He looks up at the doorway as footsteps approach.

“Oh, you’re awake!”

“Buc-” He coughs as the words scratch his throat, tongue feeling thick. Right, dehydration.

Bucky vanishes back into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with a glass of water.

“Here, I thought you might need this.”

It takes a moment for him to convince his muscles to cooperate, but then there is cool glass in his hand and cooler water in his throat. He really does have the best boyfriend. The glass empties far too quickly and he holds it out, his best puppy-dog eyes in full force. Bucky smiles and refills it from the jug he also brought out. See previous comment re: best boyfriend.

Placing the jug on the side table, Bucky perches on the arm of his chair, gently running his fingers through Tony’s hair.

“You need to look after yourself better, doll. I know this time of year is particularly hard for you, and I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but I worry when you push yourself so hard.”

He wants to respond, wants to kiss away the sadness in his voice, but the fingers have moved to massaging his temples and he is melting as the careful pressure washes away the throbbing in his skull.

He hears a sigh and… wait, what is this? The fingers have stopped rubbing, and the warm body next to him is moving away, and… He reaches out, hand clamping around a metal wrist.

“Don’t go.” Because he could let Bucky leave, could head back down to the workshop and lose himself in his projects again. But he doesn’t want to. Because that would involve moving and thinking, and he is comfy and his head hurts and his heart hurts and… he doesn’t want to be alone. “Don’t blame _you_. Just… stay?”

Then Bucky is moving again, but this time it is ok, because he is coming closer, squeezing into the armchair beside him, pulling Tony half into his lap. And there are strong arms wrapping around him and a firm chest beneath his cheek. He hears the steady thumping of Bucky’s heartbeat and lets the rhythm sink into him, blanking his mind and soothing him once more into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> In case it wasn't clear enough, this is set around the anniversary of Tony's parents' death. Hence why the whole Bucky-providing-comfort thing is complicated.
> 
> Title of Piece: Situational Analysis  
> Card Number: 3096  
> Collaborator(s): lbibliophile-mcu  
> Square Filled: A1: kidnapping  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes  
> Rating: Gen  
> Major Tags/Warnings: Tony Stark has terrible coping mechanisms, sleep deprivation, headaches, kidnapping?  
> Word Count: 1200  
> Summary:  
> As awareness gradually seeps back in, the first thing Tony notices is the headache. Not that this is exactly an uncommon state of affairs; but depending on the reason for the headache, his day will have drastically different outcomes. Aka, is he waking up to a mild annoyance, or a rather unpleasant morning, or an increasingly miserable however long until he manages to get himself back home.


End file.
